Star Wars: The Force Awakens Will Hit Netflix Next Year, But There's A Catch

If you don’t want to brave the massive, likely record-breaking crowds to see the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters, that’s understandable. But there’s some good news for those of you who would rather just watch it at home at a later date, it will be streaming on Netflix in 2016. There’s one rather large catch at the moment, however, as it will only be streaming on Netflixin Canada. But don’t worry, this gives you plenty of time to plan a move and apply for citizenship in the Great White North.

According to Variety, Netflix was only able to obtain the streaming rights to The Force Awakens in Canada, and nowhere else, including the U.S., because of the timing of when previous distribution deals expired. Right now, in the U.S., Disney has an exclusive deal with premium cable channel Starz that runs through the end of this year. The deal between Netflix and the House that Walt Built doesn’t kick in until the first of 2016, so as The Force Awakens hits movie theaters on December 18, 2015, it is still subject to the earlier arrangement.

Due to a fortunate happenstance north of the border, however, Disney’s deal with pay TV outlets expired, and Canadian Netflix users will be able to watch Episode VII in the comfort of their own home. Though it’s not like they’ll be able to do this terribly soon, as the movie won’t hit the service until roughly eight months after it leaves theaters.

But don’t worry, I’m sure there will be plenty of ways for you to watch the movie at home in the interim.

We don’t know a whole lost about Star Wars: The Force Awakens aside from rumor and innuendo, but that trailer that dropped at the beginning of the week certainly is fantastic. If you haven’t watched it yet today, let’s rectify that situation.

We do know that The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and that far, far away galaxy has become a very different place. Sure, the Empire may have been dealt a crushing blow, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still villains out there. Though we aren’t privy to a ton of specifics, we’ll get to see many of our favorite characters from the original trilogy will be back, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, as well as many more. They’ll join forces with a slew of new additions, fronted by Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).